Bulldogs scout US talent ahead of Vegas season opener

The Bulldogs may be the first club to recruit a player from the NRL’s foray into North America, with officials scouting talent in Las Vegas for a possible NRLW team.

Canterbury CEO Aaron Warburton and director Andrew Gifford visited the NRL Las Vegas 9s on Thursday and noted a number of players they were interested in as the club prepares for an expanded NRLW from 2025.

“The Nines was a real eye opener, and we were interested to see the level of talent that exists in the USA and Canada, where all teams came from for the tournament,” Warburton said.

“We're pushing hard for an NRLW licence as soon as possible and to see some of the talent in the female games was really pleasing.

“We had a number of athletes come directly up to us and explain how passionate they were to play, and asked us to keep an eye on them.

“We did that, we took some notes away, and we're really pleased with where the game is in North America at the moment.

“We thought the first rugby league we'd see would be at Allegiant Stadium [for the NRL double-header] so we were pleasantly surprised that 20 minutes out of town, there was hundreds of athletes playing the great game of rugby league.

“It was really pleasing to see the passion they had for rugby league, and the determination they had to play in the NRL or NRLW in the future really was impressive.”

Among those to catch the eye was Chicago North Shore centre Nira Fowler, who was invited to the NRL Combine, along with Cyrus Habibi-Likio, who has been in systems the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans.

After undergoing physical and skills testing at the NFL-style Combine, two male and two female players will be selected to travel to Australia and train with an elite team.

Fowler said she had worked hard to give herself a chance of playing at a high level after taking up rugby union while at university in 2021 and would jump at the opportunity to play in the NRLW.

“I was 120 pounds [55kg] so I was very, very light and I was just a pair of legs out there, so my team-mate Kris Smith owns the Foundry 13 gym in Detroit and I started working out,” Fowler told NRL.com

“I put on 20 pounds [9kg] and I feel a lot stronger. I love defence, especially tackling the girls who are bigger than men, I already know I can score because I am fast and now I am working on my decision making.

“My attitude is to never say no to a rugby opportunity because I never know where that is going to lead me and that excites me.”

Habibi-Likio was playing rugby league for the first time with East Palo Alto Razorbacks after a college football career as a running back with University of Oregon and stints at the 49ers and Texans.

“I have my own YouTube channel and I have started a series of trying new sports,” said Habibi-Likio.

“Last week it was golf, this week it’s rugby league and I guess it worked out. I got an invite to the Combine, so I am going to see how I go.

“I’m just out here having fun and it may have turned into something bigger. I am half Tongan so it is in my blood, but I have just never really tried it out because I have been playing [American] football since I was eight years old.

“I know that the higher you go like football the better the competition is and I would love to play against some high end guys. I have already played at the top in football, so why not try rugby.”

Former Kiwis international Bryson Goodwin, who played for the Rabbitohs, Bulldogs and Sharks, was at the NRL Vegas 9s in his role with Pacific Sports Management (PSM) and said he was impressed by the talent on display.

“I was surprised by the amount of teams, and the enthusiasm and the skill level on display,” Goodwin said.

“There's some real quality players, who probably just need to learn the game a bit better and if they can do that they have some real potential.

“We just spoke to a guy who has played NFL, and he scored some awesome tries. He'll come to the Combine on Saturday and who knows what could happen.

“There’s a lot of quality here and it’s an untapped market here with rugby league so if it keeps growing and growing, even just the smallest bit, with the size of the population here that is only going to be good for the game.”

Others in attendance included former Sharks skipper Paul Gallen, his former NSW Origin team-mate Ryan Hoffman, former Great Britain captain Phil Clarke and his father Colin Clarke, who also represented the Lions.

Rabbitohs 2014 premiership winner Chris McQueen was the biggest name playing at the nines tournament after turning out for Brooklyn Kings.

Bulldogs director Andrew Gifford praised the NRL for decision to open the 2024 season in Las Vegas and the work promoting and developing the game in North America  

“I just want to congratulate the NRL on bringing rugby league to Las Vegas,” Gifford said. “We saw a nines competition involving teams from Vancouver through to Brooklyn, New York, and other parts of the USA and Canada so it’s a massive effort.

“There's so much talent here and the game is ready to explode in North America, so congratulations to the NRL for having the initiative to come here.”